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David Jones reaffirms its ban against fur

In 2002, David Jones took a leading role when we made a public commitment banning the sale of fur in our stores.

At that time, we recognised the importance of protecting the welfare of animals during the production of apparel, accessories, beauty, home and food products supplied to David Jones. More than 15 years on, we remain committed to ensuring that all animals in our supply chain are treated with respect, in the most humane way possible.

This commitment is outlined in our Supplier Code of Conduct (which all of our suppliers must countersign and adhere to) and our Animal Welfare Policy, which our Private Label Suppliers must comply with. Both our Code and Animal Welfare Policy list fur as a prohibited product.

Our approach is to support continuous improvement in all aspects of animal welfare and ensure all animals in our supply chain enjoy the Five Freedoms adopted by RSPCA Australia:

1. Freedom from hunger and thirst

2. Freedom from discomfort

3. Freedom from injury or disease

4. Freedom to express normal behaviour

5. Freedom from fear and distress

Specifically to fur, our position remains that real fur must not be used in any product sold by David Jones. This includes (but is not limited to) fox, sable, mink, chinchilla, rabbit, muskrat, racoon dog, astrakhan and karakul lamb hair.

To minimise confusion, we have adopted the definition of fur developed by the Fur Free Alliance, which notes that “fur” does not include: any material clipped or shorn from animals such as fleece, sheepskin and shearling; leather with hair attached; or any synthetic material intended to look like fur, such as faux fur.

In line with that definition, David Jones accepts hair and fibre from living and domesticated animals such as cow, sheep, buffalo, yak, horse, goat and alpaca but these hairs and fibres must not be obtained by live plucking. David Jones also accepts faux fur as a substitute fibre and periodically conducts reviews to ensure that real fur has not been falsely marketed as faux fur.

In the unlikely event that an item provided to David Jones by a supplier breaches our fur ban (including in trims) we will act promptly to remove this item from sale and take the necessary steps to ensure future compliance.

We have taken this position because of the animal welfare concerns, social and environmental risks linked to the production of fur. It is estimated that approximately 85% of skins produced by the commercial fur industry are sourced from animals farmed solely for the purpose of their fur - these animals are typically confined in small areas, living painful and short lives, often suffering inhumane treatment. Harmful chemicals used in the processing stage for preservation purposes, pose a potential health risk to those who in contact with them and threaten the environment surrounding fur factories.

This commitment reflects David Jones’ values as well as those of our customers, our NGO stakeholders (like PETA and RSPCA) and the broader community. You can read our Animal Welfare Policy here and our Position Statement on fur and faux fur here.